Carnival Magic
by St.John
Summary: AU. Arthur is the mayor's son, and Merlin is the magician/illusionist in the carnival passing through town. They both feel an undeniable attraction to one another. Slash ensues.
1. Chapter 1

Soooo...I know I had told certain people that this would be posted...erm, let's just say 'a while ago'. However, it obviously didn't happen, but I will start posting this yet-to-be-finished story (the idea is really stressing me out).

Alright, so I've never written an AU before...I'm frankly not _that_ fond of them...so I don't know how this happened. Therefore, I'm sorry if it is bad.

Also, it is un-beta'd, I apologize for grammar/spelling/punctuation mistakes. Feel free to point them out to me.

This first chapter isn't graphic...but that changes fast enough.

This is dedicated to the people who requested that I write more.

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**Carnival Magic**

Chappie One

The carnival was a complete waste of time.

Arthur was sure of this. However, as the son of the city's mayor, it was required that he go. At least that's what his father said. Besides, Morgana, his half-sister, was eager to go, as was her friend, Gwen, and he didn't want them to be alone in the ruckus. Who knew what trouble they could get into around the folk at the carnival?

Morgana had insisted that they wait until night to go, something about the excitement and romanticism, that Arthur did not quite understand. Although, once they got there, he could sort of understand what she had meant. The lights everywhere had a whimsical appearance, and with the strangely garbed people on all sides, it was almost like they were on an entirely different planet. There was music in the air, as well as an electric feeling of exhilaration. The girls were quickly caught up in it all, but Arthur was not. They were running about, and Arthur was finding it difficult to keep up with them. They wanted to see everything.

Arthur watched from a bench as the girls sat astride horses on a carousel. It was quite apparent to everyone, even Arthur, how regal the two looked, like queens. He looked about himself, trying to see if there was anything that interested him. He noticed a small crowd gathering a little ways from him, but he couldn't see what had drawn them there. He waited until Morgana and Gwen had gotten off, then they made plans to meet back up there in an hour and a half.

He walked over, standing at the back of the crowd, peering over shoulders to see what was going on. Standing on a small platform was a slight man, with dark hair. He called himself Merlin, and he claimed to be able to perform the most impressive magic in the whole world. Arthur wasn't terribly interested in seeing some mediocre party tricks, but he decided he would stick around to see if this _Merlin _could do what he promised.

The man pulled a red handkerchief from his shirt. He draped it over one closed fist, then shoved his other hand underneath as well. He appeared to be muttering something under his breath, and the crowd gasped as they saw something beneath the fabric move. He pulled the handkerchief off to show the white dove sitting on his palm, which he promptly through into the air, and it flew off into the night. Arthur had to admit it was vaguely remarkable, as Arthur hadn't seen him slip the bird under, and Merlin's short sleeves couldn't hide a thing, but Arthur was a little far back, he could have missed something.

Then Merlin asked for an assistant. People's hands shot up, and there was quite a commotion as people volunteered. Merlin's eyes scanned the crowd, and settled on Arthur. "You, the blond in the back, come here." he said. Arthur thought about refusing for a moment, but then he decided this would be a perfect opportunity to see the "magic" close up, and pick out how he was doing it. He shoved his way through the disappointed crowd, and stepped up onto the platform.

"Arthur, please stand right here." Merlin placed him where he wanted, gently guiding him with hands placed on his arms. A jolt was sent through Arthur's body at the other man's touch, a tingle of sorts. He looked up at the dark-haired man, only to find him looking back. He had noticed too. "Now, do not move from that place." Merlin turned to address the crowd, "Now, I am going to perform on of the most amazing, and dangerous tricks known to man; catching a bullet." He pulled a pistol out of an ankle holster and handed it to Arthur. Arthur took it dumbly and stared at the man as if he had lost his mind. That could truly be the only reason anyone would attempt this. "Many people have died trying to perform this trick, and it takes a lot of concentration, so I must ask you all to keep silent." Merlin strode about 10 feet away from Arthur, and asked him if he knew how to fire the gun. Arthur was going to say no, hoping that he would simply give up on doing the trick, but instead he found himself nodding. "Alright, on the count of three, Arthur will fire the pistol, and if all goes well, I will live to show you the bullet held between my fingers."

Arthur thought he was going to die. He was panicking, and he was just the one firing the gun. If Merlin died, would he go to jail for murder? His hands were unsteady as he lifted his arms to hold the pistol to shoulder height. That just put the gun even closer to Merlin. The range was far too close, there was no way he would be able to catch the bullet. Arthur had to stop. Somehow, though he couldn't. As Merlin began counting, Arthur seemed to become hyper-sensitive to all that was around him, he noticed every movement of the audience, every detail on Merlin's face. It seemed like the world was slowing as Merlin said the last number. Arthur felt his finger pulling the trigger, and he watched the explosion as the bullet left the barrel. He saw Merlin's eyes flash gold, and the bullet just seemed to vanish before Arthur's eyes. He closed his eyes, not understanding what was happening, and when he opened them again everything had returned to normal.

The crowd was cheering hysterically, and Merlin was triumphantly holding a gold bullet in his hand. What had happened? There was no way he had caught that, was there? Arthur shook his head as if to clear it. Maybe he had just been seeing things, maybe the bullet hadn't disappeared, and the gold eyes must have been a trick of the light. Merlin must really be just as good as he claimed to be.

Arthur felt something being pressed into his hand, "A keepsake, for being such a wonderful assistant." Merlin said, patting him on the back. There was that strange feeling again, that tingling through his body. Arthur looked down into his palm, it was the bullet. He mumbled something in the way of thanks, shoved it into his pocket, and stumbled off the platform. Morgana and Gwen immediately were clinging to him.

"That was amazing! I wonder how he really did it?" Gwen squealed. Arthur just shrugged, he was still feeling a little shaken from the whole thing. He allowed the girls to lead him away to the Hall of Mirrors, where the two of them giggled ferociously at how ridiculous he looked. They decided that he wasn't being terribly much fun, which he certainly was not, it was like he was barely functioning. He just kept replaying the scene of firing the pistol over and over in his mind, trying to analyze it. They decided to leave him again, reminding him of there plan to meet up later.

He wandered around stupidly, pretending to look at the things in front of him, but he really wasn't paying much attention at all. He found another bench and sat there for quite some time, slowly dissolving cotton candy in his mouth. He couldn't stop thinking about that one moment when the bullet seemed to disappear, what kind of tricks was his mind playing on him? He realized something else; Merlin had known his name. He was sure he hadn't told him, and although it wasn't so strange for someone who lived in the area to know who he was, how did this stranger know?

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting before he noticed that someone was sitting beside him. "I see my lovely assistant is lost in thought." Arthur looked to see Merlin sitting beside him, grinning.

"O, hey." was all Arthur could manage as a reply. They sat in silence for a moment. If Merlin was as uncomfortable with the electricity buzzing between them as Arthur was, then he was certainly doing a better job of concealing it. Arthur shifted uncomfortably, and Merlin turned so that he was facing him. His finger deftly tugged some cotton candy from the half-eaten ball, and Arthur felt blood rush downwards as he watched him eat the pink floss. He couldn't believe that he was turned on by that, by a man, no less, but he couldn't deny it either. When Merlin ran his tongue over his lips after, Arthur barely suppressed a groan, and he tore his eyes away from the man.

"I'm sorry that I selected you for the trick. Obviously it bothered you." Merlin said. Arthur looked back over at him cautiously.

"I…no, it-it's alright. I'll be fine. Usually something like that wouldn't bother me so much, but it just really shook me for some reason."

"And you were just the one shooting the gun!" Merlin smiled. Arthur laughed half-heartedly.

"How did you do it? That trick, it was impossible." he couldn't help but ask.

"Magic."

"No, really." Arthur sighed. "Was it an illusion, or what?"

"You should know better than that, Arthur. I can't just reveal my secrets."

"Then how do you know my name?"

"Is there anyone in the area who doesn't know the Pendragons? Any more questions?" he asked sweetly. Arthur shook his head. "Good. I have one for you though, would you like to come with me around the carnival? I can show you the very heart of it."

Arthur thought about this for a moment, trying to decide if he wanted to spend more time with the man that caused such strange feelings to surface within him. "I'd like that." he said finally. Merlin leapt up, taking Arthur's hand to pull him along behind. It was like there was a constant flow of power from Merlin body into Arthur's through their joined hands, and it was one of the most exhilarating things he had ever felt.

Merlin pulled him around, pointing out more things that Arthur could keep track of. They rode the teacups five times, each time with Arthur spinning them around so quickly that Merlin looked a little sick. They went on the carousel, Merlin completely ignoring Arthur's protests. Merlin was introducing him to the people from the Carnival; Ivan the Giant; Tricia, a contortionist; there was conjoined twins; and a bearded lady; jugglers; multiple people who ran booths (some of which were more frightening than the 'freaks'). Merlin even insisted on playing one of those crooked games to win Arthur a stuffed golden dragon.

The carnival where Arthur had not wanted to go, and he had been sure to hate was suddenly the most exciting thing in the world. He couldn't stop laughing at ever little joke that Merlin made. He barely even noticed that many people had already left the carnival, and that things were beginning to close up for the night. Arthur checked the time, he was supposed to meet Morgana and Gwen fifteen minutes ago.

"Shit, I need to go, my sister and her friend are waiting for me." Arthur said apologetically.

Merlin pulled a pouty face, "Really? Alright. Hey, what would you say to maybe, possibly coming back tomorrow?" Arthur peered at him, hesitant to agree. His father wouldn't approve of him hanging around with this 'sort'. Merlin grabbed both of Arthur's hands, and moved closer to him, so he could look pleadingly into his eyes. "Please?" Arthur could feel his heart fluttering in his chest just from being so close to Merlin. Why did this man make him feel like this? He sucked in a breath and nodded. Merlin grinned goofily, then pressed his lips quickly against Arthur's.

Arthur pulled back, cursing. Anyone could see Merlin and him together. If it got back to his father he was dead. He looked over at Merlin, who was looking down at his feet and starting to back away. He looked…hurt.

"Merlin, don't. I'm-I'm sorry, it's just-"

"No. Don't worry about it. My mistake. Sorry to bother you. I'll be seeing you, yeah." He turned to leave, and all Arthur could think about was how _wrong_ this moment felt.

Before he had a chance to say anything else to Merlin, to stop him, he heard his name being called. He looked over and saw Morgana and Gwen waving and walking towards him. He turned back to say something to Merlin, but he was nowhere to be seen.

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I'm holding the next chapter ransom. The price for its release: reviews. I'm not joking, people, I can wait as looooong as I have to, but the next chapter _could_ be up as soon as tomorrow if you comply.

heart muchly,  
St. John


	2. Chapter 2

Hello dearies! I'm glad nobody hated the first chapter (or at least, if they did, they didn't tell me!). Thanks for the reviews! *hearts*

This chapter was originally part of a bigger chapter, but to prolong your suffering, I broke it into two! :D I'll have you know, I'm laughing hysterically right now.

With some prompting, I have decided I will allow the readers to vote on something; do we want bottom!Arthur, or bottom!Merlin? Frankly, I have a soft spot for bottom!Arthur, but I will make any changes neccesary, if I have to. If you want to put your word in, just pop that into the reviews (you could review while you're at it *nudge nudge*)!

Anyway, without further ado, here's the second chapter (edited for less porn and a more suspenseful cliff hanger [of sorts])! *ducks to avoid hurled vegetables* Hey, I'm not Merlin! *laughs evilly*

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Chappie Two

Arthur rolled in his sleep, moaning. His breath came in gasps, and his hands kept roaming over the sheets as if they were reaching for something.

_He thrust his tongue into Merlin's mouth, grasping his dark hair in his fingers to hold the man's face close. Merlin groaned as his hands roamed over Arthur's back. His hands clasped Arthur's ass, and he pushed his own pelvis tightly to Arthur's. Arthur began sucking his way down Merlin's neck as he ran one hand down between them to press against Merlin's arousal. The man rutted against him, murmuring words of encouragement. Arthur undid the button on Merlin's jeans, and slipped his hand down to grasp his erection. It was hot, so very hot, and hard. Arthur ran his thumb over the tip, feeling the wetness there. He kissed Merlin again, swallowing up the sounds coming from his mouth. He began to piston his hand; small, jerky motions were all he could manage in the tight environment of clothing. He could tell that Merlin was close already, the man's head had fallen back, and he was panting heavily. Merlin lifted his head and looked at Arthur, his eyes gold as he came._

Then suddenly he was awake, feeling more alone than he ever had before.

He had gone home silently with his sister and her friend, not paying attention to anything they had said to him. As soon as he went home, he had marched upstairs to his room and collapsed onto his bed, still dressed, and fell into a fitful sleep.

He felt something strange poking him from his pants pocket. He reached his hand in and pulled out the gold bullet that Merlin had handed him. He turned it around in his hand, looking closely at it. There was no way that was the bullet from the pistol, it wasn't even the proper type of bullet. It must have been some sort of illusion, that was the only possible explanation.

Arthur stood and stretched, before walking across the hall to the bathroom. He stepped into the shower and sighed. He was harder than he normally was in the morning, the result of the heated dream. Arthur wrapped his hand around himself, pumping his hand slowly. He closed his eyes, and tried to picture one of the things he usually did; that pretty girl who worked at his favourite coffee shop, a random model from one of his porn magazines, or any girl he had seen recently that had struck his fancy. His imagination would have none of it though, his mind kept turning back to Merlin. He had a strangely alluring mouth for a man. Arthur tried his last resort: Gwen. He'd always felt a little guilty about jerking off in her name, but it wasn't as if she knew. Finally, he was right on the edge, and as he tugged one last time his mind flicked right back to Merlin. It was him that Arthur imagined as he spent himself.

He had to stop thinking about Merlin. Nothing good could come from it. If his father ever found out… He had to just forget about the whole thing, pretend it never happened in the first place. He had to…

He had to go back to the carnival.

Arthur checked the time, it was only quarter to eleven. That was still really early, but he couldn't fight the feeling that he had to go _now. _He dressed slowly, trying to pick out an outfit that he really liked, that Merlin might like, and trying to kill a little bit of time.

He tried to eat, but he was so jittery he only managed to eat half of a piece of toast and about two gulps of tea. He left a hasty note for his father, or for his sister, whomever happened to read it. It was quite vague, just saying that he was going out and that he would be back later.

The whole way over his mind kept reeling. What if Merlin wasn't there? What if he didn't even want to talk to Arthur? What was he supposed to say to him? "Hey, I actually really enjoyed that kiss, can we do it again?" He didn't think that would fly too well.

He wandered around, secretly kind of hoping that he wouldn't find Merlin so that he wouldn't have to face him. It was mainly children and their parents at the carnival by daylight. There were more balloon animals and kids with painted faces around than Arthur really felt comfortable with. He circled the whole carnival without seeing Merlin.

He walked past the platform where Merlin had performed the night before. The stage was completely empty. Arthur stood there, staring at the stage for a moment, trying to decide if he should just give up or not.

"Hey." a voice came for behind him. Arthur turned and looked at Merlin. He looked tired, like he had not slept well either. His eyes were such a bright blue in the sunlight, and definitely not gold. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Merlin asked. Arthur realized he had been staring for some time, and he hadn't even tried to respond to him.

One hand went up to Merlin cheek, and Arthur's thumb rubbed over his bottom lip before he crushed his mouth against Merlin's. Merlin didn't respond at first, and Arthur felt his heart drop. He had screwed it up royally, he was surprised Merlin hadn't already moved away. Then he felt Merlin open his mouth and grasp Arthur's forearms tightly. Arthur caressed the man's tongue with his own, drawing his tongue back into his own mouth so he could suck on it. It was just as good as the kiss they had shared the night before, no, better, because Arthur wasn't nearly so scared, and not so surprised.

They drew apart, Arthur shakily, and Merlin with a blank face. Arthur noticed that some people around them were staring, and mothers were trying to distract their children. He ran his hand though his hair. "So, um…about that…" He trailed off, not quite sure what he should say next.

Merlin turned away from him. "Follow me. I'm on my lunch break." Arthur faithfully trotted after Merlin, following him back to a small trailer. He was trying to devise something brilliant to say, something that would convince Merlin that he wasn't a prat, or a complete moron, but nothing was quite sufficient.

He looked around the trailer, trying to figure out what most of the stuff in there was. Magic props he assumed, not that he could figure out how they worked. "Do you want anything? A drink perhaps?" Merlin asked. _Yes, can we fuck? Like, right now? _Arthur shook his head and seated himself on one side of a miniscule table. Merlin sat on the opposite side, munching on something unrecognizable, likely something that he had concocted for himself.

They sat in silence. Arthur still had no clue what to say, and Merlin was busy eating, and he didn't seem to mind waiting for conversation. Arthur waited as Merlin washed down the remains of his lunch with some water. Then they sat and stared at each other.

"Well," Merlin said, "What made you come back?"

"You asked me to come today." Merlin did not look terribly impressed with that answer. "And-and I wanted to spend some more time with you.

"Last night, when you…you know, I wasn't upset with you. It's just-my father, and I was surprised, and there were people around, and…" Arthur knew he was babbling, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. "Honestly," he sighed, "I didn't mind it at all."

"What a compliment; 'I wasn't completely horrified when you kissed me, I just acted that way for reasons which are complicated.'. Thanks." he rolled his eyes, "Dammit, Arthur, I spend all that time with you because I had this _feeling_, and I could have sworn you felt it too, but then when I kiss you, you back away from me, swearing like I had tried to attack you or something!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I know what you mean though, the feeling. I had it too." he paused for a moment, staring down at his shoes, before he sucked in a breath, continuing, "I still have it." he admitted. He peeked over at Merlin, whose face was blank, and unreadable.

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Me again. Same deal as last time: reviews=next chapter. *holds gun up to fic* I'LL DO IT, I SWEAR! GO REVIEW & VOTE!

P.S. Did I mention the next part will be slashier? Wouldn't you like to review to read about the sexytimes?!

P.P.S. The next chapter might not be up tomorrow, but (for reviews) I promise it will be up on Sunday (my Sunday, I don't know what time zone you are in. If I did, that would be creepy!)

What? No! I'm not desperate for reviews...not at all.....hehheh.....heh.....*runs away*


	3. Chapter 3

Have I mentioned that I love you all? The reviews/story alerts make me grin like an idiot. Thank you!

Anyway...the OOC-ness of this...I don't know what's going on! I've always sort of prided myself on being able to write people in character...and it's just not working out so well this time *weeps like a little girl* I'm working on it...

Also, not one single person said they wanted bottom!Merlin (some people said they didn't care), so, lol at Arthur, and luckily for me, I don't have to make any changes to what I had been writing :D

Thanks for not complaining about the cliffhanger too much *pulls you up from cliff* -ONWARDS!

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"You still have it, do you? Do you have it right now? Right at this second?" Merlin asked. Arthur looked away again and nodded. "What if I did this?" he reached under the table and placed his hand on Arthur's knee, almost hesitantly. "Or this?" he moved his hand, now with slightly more confidence, to the centre of Arthur chest, right over his diaphragm. Arthur managed to nod his head again. He would have tried a verbal reply, but his mouth had gone dry. Merlin stroked his hand up and down over Arthur's chest. Arthur let out a small groan when Merlin's finger tips brushed over his nipple. Merlin smiled to himself and let his hand drift down a little lower on the next few strokes. Arthur could feel his blood supply redirecting itself to his groin.

"I'd never felt it before." Merlin said quietly. His eyes were focused on his hand's travels.

"Neither had I." said Arthur shakily. He grabbed Merlin hand in his own two and brought it up to his lips to press a kiss onto the knuckles. He stood and moved over to Merlin, stooping to press his lips against the man's forehead.

"I'm sorry." Arthur apologized again. His lips traced Merlin's jaw, before he moved his face to capture Arthur's mouth with his own. Merlin's tongue lapped against Arthur's lips, asking for entrance, which Arthur was more than happy to grant. Finger's were tugging on Arthur's hair, and he was supporting himself with his hands on Merlin's thighs. Merlin could do wicked things with his tongue, things that made Arthur imagine what it would be like to feel that tongue on his prick.

As they broke apart for air, Arthur lifted Merlin up onto the table. He stood between his knees so that they could comfortably resume kissing. He nibbled on Merlin's ear, pleased that it caused several whimpers. Meanwhile, Merlin's hands had inched their way beneath Arthur's shirt, and were shoving it up. He stopped to pull the shirt over his head, then crushed their lips together. Merlin wrapped his legs around Arthur's waist tightly, and it positioned their pelvises closely together. Arthur was momentarily afraid of Merlin feeling his erection, but then he felt how hard he was as well. He clutched at Merlin's hips when the man started to undulate them.

"Merlin." Arthur groaned through clenched teeth as a warning. The man's writhing was almost more than he could handle.

He unlatched his legs from around his waist, and jumped up from the table. He stuck his fingers in the waistband of Arthur's pants, and dragged him over to were there was a small, unmade bunk. He pushed Arthur down onto it, and then straddled his hips. His fingers lightly trailed up his chest before pinching his nipples. Arthur ran his hands up Merlin's thighs, using one thumb to brush over the bulge in his jeans. Merlin's thighs clenched around his hips, and he made a pleased sound.

The dark haired man moved lower, shifting himself off Arthur's body. He licked at Arthur's nipples and his finger worked to undo both of their pants. He paused before tugging Arthur's pants down, looking at him to makes sure it was alright. Arthur tried to help him remove the pants, but his motor skills seemed to get worse as he became more and more aroused. Merlin stood for a moment so he could shed his own jeans. Arthur propped himself up on his elbow so he could get a good view. Merlin wasn't wearing anything beneath his jeans, and after he had lowered them just a little, his heavy erection fell out. Arthur was surprised at the size, and a little perturbed to say that the slight man's measurements rivalled his own.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up, and took Merlin's hand to pull him closer. Placing one hand on Merlin's hip to keep him still, he slowly extended his tongue to lap at the head of his cock. Merlin's groaned and thrust his hips forward. "Merlin, I-I've never done this before." he said. He was pretty sure he could figure it out, but he didn't want to do anything wrong either.

Merlin's hand cupped his cheek. "Just don't bite." he laughed. "Do whatever you think is right. Think of what girls have done." Arthur nodded, that sounded like decent advice to him. He extended his tongue and lapped at the head a little. "Good, mmmm, very good, Arthur." Arthur, pleased that he had been doing well so far, became over confident and tried to take all of Merlin in at once. He gagged, it had surprised him so much he had to pull away to catch his breath. "Careful, you don't need to try deep throating. Not so much at once." Merlin laughed a little, stroking Arthur's hair comfortingly. Arthur restrained himself this time, slowly sucking in a manageable amount. Merlin was trying to hold his hips still so that he wouldn't choke Arthur, but he seemed to be having a difficult time. When Arthur swiped his tongue just below the head of Merlin's dick, his hips thrust forward almost by their own will.

"Alright, that's enough. Arthur, Arthur, that's good." he pulled Arthur back up to his feet. Arthur was a little bit disappointed that Merlin had asked him to stop, he had been revelling in the power he'd had over the man. Merlin kissed him, his tongue swirling around, licking away the taste of his own skin.

"Just relax." Merlin ordered, as he directed Arthur down onto the bunk, He placed Arthur so that he was laying on his stomach, his aching erection trapped between his stomach and the sleep-rumples sheets. Merlin ran his hands down Arthur's back before cupping his buttocks. His fingers dug in slightly, just enough to tease. One slender finger dragged down the crack of Arthur's ass. He tensed, nervous just at the thought of what was going on. "Relax." Merlin repeated. His finger circled the pursed bud of Arthur's anus, the touch light and tickling. He brushed his lips over the skin of one cheek, before moving to where his finger had just been. Arthur thought he might die instantaneously when he felt Merlin's tongue tap against him, slowly pushing inward. The lewdness of the act only heightened the pleasure. As Merlin buggered Arthur with his tongue, Arthur became lost to the world.

Suddenly, Merlin's mouth was gone, and there was a sharp tug back into reality. "Fuck!" Merlin jumped up, muttering beneath his breath. A bedside alarm clock was sounding. Merlin shut it off, and began redressing hurriedly, nearly tripping over his own pantlegs. Arthur turned over onto his back and gaped at him.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" he asked, confused with this whole situation. Why weren't they fucking right at this second? Why was Merlin trying to rush off? Arthur didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling rather hurt, and he knew that was just how Merlin had felt the night before.

"I have to be back out there. I have a show in less than five." Merlin grumbled.

"O." Arthur said, getting up off the bed. He reached for his pants, but before he could lift them off the floor, Merlin had put his foot on them, preventing any movement.

"No, no. You don't need to go anywhere, beautiful. I can be back in about forty minutes. Might I suggest that you just lie back and think dirty thoughts until I return?" Merlin smiled, gently pushing Arthur in the direction of the bunk. Arthur wasn't exactly resisting him.

"I can't put my pants on until you come back though?" He felt a little strange at the thought of just hanging around this relative stranger's trailer naked.

"Why bother? I'll just be taking them back off." Merlin finished dressing before kissing Arthur quickly. "You just make sure you are hard and ready when I get back." he whispered, and with that, he was gone.

Arthur felt rather awkward being in this relative stranger's trailer alone and naked, like he was breaking some rule. He looked around him, sitting back down on the bed, trying to decide what he would do until Merlin returned. He noticed that the bedside clock had a radio, so he turned it on, hoping that the break in the silence might help kill some time.

There was a big, leather-bound book on the floor, half-tucked under Merlin's bunk. Arthur picked it up, opening it to a random page. He could really read any of the words on the page, they looked a little bit like English, perhaps they were Old English, or even German, he couldn't tell. The pictures were all of things like frogs, bird, flowers, or tree branches. He decided this was another one of Merlin's props - a book of spells, as all good magicians should have. It was quite convincing looking too, not like the cheap things Arthur had seen before.

He got up and wandered over to where they had been sitting before. Draped over the back of one of the chair was the red handkerchief Merlin had used in his trick the night before. Arthur turned it over in his hands, searching for a hidden pocket sewn into it, or some sort of clue as to how it might be used for a trick, but he could find none.

A yawn caught him by surprise, he had slept very poorly, but he hadn't had time to feel tired before now. He stretched out on the bunk. It couldn't hurt just to rest for a little bit. He'd just shut his eyes to for a while, and then Merlin would be back, and they could pick up right where they had left off.

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*kicks you off cliff again*

Eh? What's that? I still have not provided you with proper sexytimes, you say? Well, I never said I would, I just promised you more slashiness.

So, if you don't hate me too much for leaving you high and dry, you might consider reviewing (please?).

I'm not holding the fic hostage anymore...but I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up...let's just say 'soon', because I know some of you aren't above threats (not that I mind the threats).


	4. Chapter 4

So...it definitely takes me forever to update, and I am sorry _

And...uh...this chapter is mainly porn *plot flies out the window*

I'm not really happy with this chapter...so if you have any suggestions, please tell me! Also, please point out my spelling/grammar mistakes, I know they are in there somewhere!

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, and don't be afraid to leave some more

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The heated dream was back.

"O, god, Merlin." Arthur moaned. The feeling of his warm, wet mouth on his cock was so vivid, it was too good to be true. Arthur thought that with time, he might grow weary of these dreams, they hovered on the border between pain and pleasure, but for now, he was just going to enjoy them.

Muffled laughter jolted him awake. He sat straight up, looking down to find that Merlin really was there, and he actually did have his mouth wrapped around Arthur. Merlin peered up at him before pressing his tongue against the vein on the underside of his tool. Arthur groaned and flopped back down.

"You're back so soon?" he managed to puff out. He thought he had better try to speak while he still had the mental capacity.

Merlin lifted his head, and Arthur barely stopped himself from protesting. "I've been gone well over an hour, it took longer than I expected. You were asleep when I came in, and you'd gone all soft on me. I told you to be hard and ready when I got back." he complained.

"Well, I am now." Arthur pointed out, putting his hand on the back of Merlin's head to pull him in for a kiss. The kiss began sweetly enough, just the innocent movement of mouths, yet quickly changed into a fierce battle of tongues. Arthur broke away and nibbled on Merlin's earlobe while he listened to the man pant. He couldn't help but feel quite self-satisfied.

"You know, I can't help but get the feeling someone around here is overdressed." Arthur murmured into his ear, before swiping his tongue along the outer-curve. Merlin's quiet chuckle against his neck sent a shiver down his spine.

"O really? Well, I think something can be done about that." Merlin moved away long enough to eagerly, yet clumsily, tear at his clothes. His foot tangled in his pant leg, and he tripped into Arthur's lap.

"It seems I have swept you off your feet!" Arthur laughed, wrapping his arms around the man and pressing kisses against whatever skin he could get to. Merlin's fingers crept up Arthur's leg towards his erection, and Arthur merely spread his knees a little farther apart to allow better access. As Merlin wrapped his hand around him, they pressed their lips together again. Arthur couldn't even remember a time that kissing a girl had been this good-not even that (quite drunken) one he had shared with Gwen.

Arthur reached his own hand down to Merlin. The angle was strange, and he was having trouble setting up a decent rhythm, as every time he get close, Merlin would do something magnificent, like run his thumb over the head of Arthur's cock, and throw him off tempo again. Despite these misgivings, Merlin was still making pleased little sounds deep in his throat, so Arthur wasn't about to give up.

He rolled Merlin under him, straddling his legs before continuing to tug and him. It was easier this way, and he could clearly see what it did to Merlin, the ways his eyes squeezed shut and he bit his bottom lip to attempt to silence himself (it really didn't work that well). "You just might be the prettiest thing I have ever seen." Arthur commented, running his thumb over the head of Merlin's cock to gather the fluid that had gathered there.

"I'm not pretty!" Merlin admonished with a laugh. "You make me sound like a girl. Take that back!."

Arthur leaned down to kiss him briefly. "Never." He stroked his free hand over Merlin's thin chest, enjoying the way the (honest-to-god) muscles rippled beneath his fingers.

"You'll regret that." Merlin threatened. He pulled Arthur forward a bit and took both of their tools in hand before setting up his own torturously slow rhythm.

Arthur wanted to say "I'm going to regret this?", but it ended up coming out more like "Ooooommmmrrrgh." Not that Merlin was truly listening anyway.

It was really too much for Arthur, he had been hanging on the edge all day, and their interrupted session had only made things worse. He knew he wouldn't be able to last very long, not when he felt like he would burst into flames at any second already. "Merlin," he moaned, panting, "Merlin, more. I-I…" he couldn't think straight enough to get the words out, but he seemed to understand anyhow.

Merlin leaned a bit, one long arm rummaging around over the side of the bed for something. He came up with a small tube, and just the sight of it sent a thrill through him. Merlin squeezed a generous amount (Arthur was slightly affronted at first, but then he looked again at the size of Merlin, and did not protest) onto his fingers. Arthur leaned forward, pressing his cheek over Merlin's heart and listened to it pounding away rapidly, as Merlin pressed a finger inside of him. He shivered, prompting Merlin to freeze at once, "Cold." he murmured to reassure him. Merlin kissed the top of his head and proceeded. He thrust the finger in and out gently, until the tight ring of muscle had relaxed enough for him to push another finger in along side the first. Arthur kept telling himself to stay relaxed, but his cock was pressed up against his stomach, right beside Merlin's, and he found himself too turned on to concentrate on anything. Once the second finger was moving easily, Arthur shut his eyes, it was really rather nice and all, but it wasn't quite the kick that it had been when Merlin had been using his tongue. Then Merlin quirked his fingers, and Arthur's eyes shot open as his breath caught in his throat.

"That's good then?" Merlin asked, and Arthur didn't need to look up to see the smile that he could hear was plastered across his face. He would have responded, but Merlin did it again, and it was like his brain shut down to everything other than the pleasure he was feeling. That pleasure-fuelled part of his brain wanted more, and it wanted it right then.

He sat up, and wrapped his hand around Merlin, his other hand pulling at Merlin's wrist, tugging his fingers free. He paused long enough to allow Merlin to roll a condom down over himself, before holding Merlin's cock as he levered himself up over top of it. Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes before lowering himself down. He went slowly, feeling himself stretch around Merlin. It wasn't exactly painful, but there was a certain burn to it, just enough to keep him focused on his task. Once he was seated firmly on Merlin's thighs, he waited, giving himself some time to adjust to the feeling of being so full.

"Please, dear god, tell me you're ready." Merlin half-groaned from beneath him after some time. His face was strained with lust, his fingers clenched into the bed sheets. Arthur didn't bother to reply, he simply raised himself up a little before settling himself back down. He bit back a groan. Even after that first thrust he knew that this was something he could get used to. He continued to raise and drop himself on Merlin's cock, bracing himself with his hands on Merlin's shoulders. Merlin's own hands had raised up to his hips, and he was helping to lift and lower him, always trying to gently persuade him to move just a little bit faster.

"O god, Merlin, touch me." he choked out, and the other man was happy to comply. He grasped him firmly, jerking him off in time with his thrusts. "Yes." he hissed out. "Faster." he demanded next. The building pleasure was driving him mad. He brought his mouth down upon Merlin's ferociously, sucking on his lips before licking his way into his mouth.

Merlin took this opportunity to gather all the strength he had (quite a lot, for someone so skinny), and flipped Arthur over onto his back. Their mouths never separating, his hands abandoned Arthur's cock to push his legs back. Arthur moaned at the sensation the change of position had brought. Now Merlin's more forceful thrusts hit his prostate directly, and he couldn't contain the breathless gasps that were escaping him. His hands clutched at Merlin's ass, trying to pull him in impossibly deeper.

"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin." he chanted, taking himself in hand, unable to stand hovering at the edge any longer.

"Arthur." came Merlin's whispery reply. Arthur watched his eyes clench shut before Merlin leaned in to press their lips together. Shudders racked Merlin's whole body as he came. Arthur, in his hazy lust-driven brain, vaguely noted that the bulb in the bedside lamp burst, but he couldn't bring himself to care, because now Merlin's hands were on him, stroking him, and palming his balls. His breath caught in his throat as he came, spurting his seed over Merlin's chest.

Arthur lay on the cot, trying to catch his breath, grinning like an idiot at the pleasurable ache that shouted 'I just got laid, and it was great!'. After Merlin had pulled out of him, he tried to wrap his arms around the man, hoping that they could have a little bit of time to just there and cuddle (in a manly way, of course…ahem), but Merlin pulled away from him.

Merlin got up and picked pieces of the broken light bulb up, mumbling something that sounded a lot like "This happens every time."

"What?" Arthur asked, hoping dearly that nothing was wrong. "Is something wrong?" He didn't need to say that there was really more to that question than what was just said, Merlin looked like he knew that.

Merlin leaned over to kiss him, "Nothing, the lamp just overheated or something." He cursed as he pricked his finger on the sharp glass.

"I didn't think the lamp was on." Arthur said. Merlin's only response was to give him one of his unreadable looks.

There was a long silence. Neither of them really knew what to do, the post-coital bliss thoroughly snuffed out.

"So," Merlin began, with a small smile, "Are you going to let me take you out to dinner? I know it's after sex and all, but…" he trailed off, moving towards Arthur in a way that promised more good things in the future if he agreed.

"No, because I'm going to take you out." he grinned back, reaching up to pull him down for a kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

***peeks out from behind tree* ummm....so yeah....here's the thing....I know it's been....forever...._I just have no idea what is going on_...it's all very complicated, I am sure**

**there has been writing and rewriting and planning and angst and discussion and throwing up of the hands in defeat and confusion and some more confusion**

**but...just....just take this....okay, and please don't yell at me [I really love you, I just don't know how to: a)treat you right b)show it]**

_Edit (March 22): A slightly revised version of this chapter replaced what I had first posted, just a few words were changed, spelling fixed, etc., courtesy of my lovely beta, Mandara (who also saved you all from unimaginable angst!)._

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Merlin had refused to go anywhere until after he had had a nap. He'd mumbled something about not sleeping well before flopping out on the cot and drifting off. Arthur hadn't minded, even though he had been sleeping a relatively short time ago, mind-blowing sex had a way of taking all the energy out of you. He simply shoved Merlin over a little (how could such a skinny man take up so much space?), and dozed off himself.

The grumbling of his stomach woke him up. He nudged Merlin awake, or rather, he tried to nudge him awake, but that failing, had to use a combination of shaking and half-yelling to rouse him. "Get the hell up, I'm hungry."

"Always the romantic, I see." Merlin sighed, rubbing his eyes drowsily. He smirked when Arthur's stomach growled again, but then his gave an answering growl.

"Food takes first priority." Arthur replied. They made themselves as presentable as they could, trying to brush out wrinkles in clothes and finger-combing hair. Arthur didn't think it would really do for them to go out with that 'yeah, we've been shagging'-look about them. With only a few complications ("Just use my toothbrush." "That's been in your mouth!" "Are you not going to use anything that's been in my mouth then?" "Shut up."), they were ready.

Arthur knew just the place he wanted to take Merlin. There was a little restaurant close to the downtown that he loved. It wasn't the fanciest place around, but the food was to die for, and the people there had become his friends. As much as he would have liked to play the whole thing cool, he found that the thought of this 'date' made him feel terribly giddy. There was still that chance that Merlin would hate the place, or that the people there wouldn't like Merlin, however, he couldn't quite bring himself to worry about such things.

The Round Table was fairly empty, only a few random diners tucked away in dimly-lit corners. They sat at Arthur's normal table, near enough to the kitchen doors that you could hear the cook cursing. They'd barely sat down before their waitress had appeared. Gwen had her hair tucked up into a loose bun, and a small apron tied around her hips.

"Hello, Arthur, lovely to see you. You've brought someone with you today!" Gwen held her hand out to Merlin, "You look an awful lot like that magi-"

"Gwen, this is Merlin. Merlin, Gwen" Arthur cut in. He didn't think he needed people passing around that he was picking-up people from the carnival (even if he was).

"Nice to meet you." Merlin smiled, giving Arthur a glance that all but screamed 'I know what you're doing'.

"Arthur!" Lancelot came out from the kitchen. "I was beginning to think something had happened to you, you haven't been in for so long." Arthur hadn't liked Lancelot very much when Morgana and Gwen had first introduced them to each other, but with time, the man had grown on him. Lancelot had never said a word all the times Arthur had come in fuming about something that had gone on between him and his father, he just sat with him and distracted him with talk of soccer or a new recipe he was trying (thankfully, this had also given Arthur the opportunity to talk Lance out of many truly disgusting sounding dishes).

"I've been busy. Morgana is trying to badger me into going back to school, and Uther is trying to get me into more council meetings."

"Tough luck. You should consider it though, going back to university. If you would just take those last courses…" Arthur shot him a look, he didn't want to go through this right now.

Gwen seemed to realize she should do something. "Lancelot, this is Merlin." she gestured towards him, as though he might not have noticed him sitting at the table before then.

"Good to see Arthur is able to make friends once in a while. Shows that he's making an effort to be civil."

"He could put a little more effort into it." Merlin smiled. Arthur mentally slapped himself, he should have known Merlin and Lance would get on well.

"Aren't you going to offer to feed us, it is your business, you know." Arthur said rather irately. He just wanted them to leave him alone with Merlin for a while. It would only be a matter of time before Lance or Gwen let something slip that he wouldn't want Merlin to know - some drunken mishap, or one of his pranks on Morgana gone wrong - at least Merlin didn't need to know these things yet.

"Of course, don't even bother ordering, I'll make you something fit for a king!" With that, Lancelot disappeared back into the kitchen, and they could hear pots and pans clattering around loudly.

"I hope you have strong stomachs, he's experimenting again." Gwen warned them with a small smile. "Not that that's a bad thing, some of his experiments come out quite well, but others, well there was that one time he got that duck… Anyhow, I'll be back when your food is ready!" Gwen wandered off towards one of the other tables.

Arthur looked at Merlin sympathetically, "I can probably get you out of eating his creation." he offered, "He's really rather good when he's cooking things from the menu."

Merlin grinned, "Don't worry about it, I've eaten some pretty appalling food on the road, much of it made by me." Arthur's mind flicked back to the…something he had seen Merlin eating earlier that day, and found he did not doubt that the statement was the truth. "He cooks for a living, how bad can it be?" Arthur decided he'd best leave that question to answer itself. No point in ruining a perfectly good surprise.

"So you have enough brains in your head to go to university, do you?" Merlin asked nonchalantly, sipping at the glass of water before him.

"So it should seem." Arthur replied dryly, "Not that that was of any importance to my father." he added. Merlin didn't press him to go any further, but Arthur could tell from the look in his eyes he wanted to know more. "I was studying athletic psychology, a waste of time according to my father. He pulled me out - no, I dropped out during my last term. I could go back I suppose…" he trailed off, turning a fork over in his hands absent-mindedly.

"You should go back if you want to." Merlin said, placing one of his hands over Arthur's to still the motion. That tingling feeling when they touched was there again. Arthur just shrugged, maybe, if he ever- , maybe.

"What about you? Have you always been magic?" there was a quick flash of something in Merlin's eyes, alarm perhaps, but it was gone before Arthur had a proper chance to identify it.

"One is born to magic," he responded, "Or at least I was. My mother always told me that my father was from a carnival, he was a sword swallower. So when I was 16, my mother told me to go, said it was for my own good, and she was right of course. The carnival is in my blood. I've followed in my father's footsteps, I'm no sword swallower, not that I haven't swallowed one or two," Arthur snorted, "but I can still go about like my father, weaving spells to seduce maidens." Merlin finished with a lascivious grin.

Arthur was most definitely affronted, "Maidens?" he gasped.

Merlin nodded, "Yes, they're the best really, you can train them."

"So now you're not a sword swallower or a magician, you're a lion-tamer?"

"Dragon-tamer," came the rejoinder. "I've a thing for the fire."

"Don't you know that fire burns?"

"It's not the only thing that burns." Merlin beamed mischievously. Arthur scowled, more because he could see Gwen peering at them from the other side of the room, than because of Merlin's cheekiness.

Arthur paused before speaking, "You don't actually go seducing people wherever you stop, do you?"

Merlin laughed, "No, if I did my dick would have fallen off by now, whether from disease or exhaustion." Arthur cringed inwardly at the mention of disease, or at least he thought it had been inwardly, the look that Merlin gave him before reassuring him that he did not suggest otherwise.

"Can I ask you another question?" he didn't wait for the answer, he just kept speaking so that he wouldn't lose his nerve, "Has it always been guys?" Perhaps Arthur was just a late bloomer? Although he thought he still liked women. He peered at Gwen for a moment. Yes, he still liked women, definitely.

"The women have always seemed more intent on killing me than kissing me." Merlin laughed after he said this, but Arthur wasn't entirely confident that he was joking.

"Now, don't you move, I'll be right back." Merlin said, rising from his chair. As he went to turn, Gwen appeared behind him carrying two wine glasses and a bottle, and he crashed into her. Gwen managed to keep a hold of the bottle, but the glasses flew from her hands.

"Oh no!" Gwen cried out. Merlin's gaze whipped towards the glasses. Arthur could have sworn he saw Merlin's eyes turn gold, but it must have been the shoddy lighting in the room (maybe it was easier to stomach Lance's tests if you couldn't see them?). Merlin picked up the glasses and placed them on the table.

"They're not broken." he said happily. Gwen looked doubly as pleased. "Sorry for bumping into you."

"Not a problem. These things seem to get broken all the time. They can be so fragile."

"What a stroke of luck." Arthur couldn't quite keep the suspicion out of his voice.

"Anyway, Lance insisted that I bring you two this wine." Gwen began, "He said it would compliment the meal." Arthur shot her a look of skepticism. "He might have also said something about dates not being complete without wine." Arthur now praised the dim lighting that hide his complexion as he flushed. Merlin simply smirked as he headed off in the direction of the washroom.

Left in his own company, Arthur had time to think. Merlin was nothing like anyone else he knew, that was certain. Arthur reached into his pocket, and pulled out the bullet that he was still carrying with him. He examined it absentmindedly, seeing the faint glint off the golden metal. Merlin's words earlier 'This happens every time.', as he cleaned up pieces of lamp, popped into Arthur's mind. It was feasible that Merlin seemed nothing like his other friends because nothing odd every happened around them. He drained his glass of wine, banishing his thoughts about the strange occurrences.

Merlin returned to their table. "What's that?" he asked as he sat down.

"Nothing." Arthur slipped the bullet back into his pocket. He felt a little bit silly for having it with him.

"Still got that, have you?" a smile played at the corners of Merlin's mouth, as though he were extremely proud of himself. Arthur just shrugged. Merlin looked at him expectantly, waiting for some sort of explanation. Luckily for Arthur, Gwen arrived back at their table.

"Lance is calling this his 'masterpiece'." Gwen said cheerily.

"Well, if that's what he said, it is sure to be-" Gwen placed the plates in front of both Arthur and Merlin, "something." Arthur finished, peering down at his dish. It looked…well, it looked edible.

As soon as Gwen had stepped away, Merlin dug into the food before him. Arthur was a little bit more hesitant, he thought he might wait to see the other man's reaction. Merlin made a pleased sound, chewing the…pasta, was it pasta?

"You're friend is a really good cook!" Merlin exclaimed, taking another larger bite. Maybe it was a pot pie of some sort? "Mmmm, so good!"

Merlin looked like he was in seventh heaven, so Arthur felt confident that the food must have been much better than it looked. He tried a bit, just enough to taste it. Merlin obviously had appalling taste. Arthur's eyes watered as he swallowed. Stew perhaps? Arthur tried again, but fared no better. He knew he shouldn't have let Lancelot use them as guinea pigs. He glanced at Merlin, who was still happily eating, and chasing it down with the wine.

Arthur picked his way through dinner, managing to consume about half of the 'masterpiece', making sure to wash it down with the wine. He likely would have drank far more of the wine, but Merlin seemed to have drank much of it with the same vigour that he ate his food. The tips of his (rather hilarious, now that he thought about it) ears were turning red, as well as the volume of his voice steadily increasing. Apparently Merlin didn't hold his drink well.

Lancelot came out to see how they were doing. Arthur told him he thought the dish could still use a little something, maybe another spice, or maybe take out one of the spices. Unfortunately for anyone who ate there, Merlin gave such a rave, though slightly slurred, review, that Lancelot paid no attention to Arthur's recommendation.

"Another bottle of wine then, boys?" Lancelot asked. Merlin face lit up, but Arthur declined politely.

"I've got to get him back for…for work." Arthur said "Just put this on my tab, alright?" He helped Merlin up to his feet, wrapping his arm around the slight man's waist to help hold him steady.

"I already have." Lancelot said. His eyes went to Arthur's arm, then up to catch his eyes with a smirk. Arthur felt himself blush furiously for the second time that evening. Merlin hiccupped and buried his face in the side of Arthur neck, only causing Lancelot's smile to grow.

"T-thanks a bunch, Lance." Arthur sputtered out, turning slightly towards the exit. He held up his hand in farewell to Gwen, who smiled and waved back from another table.

"Bye!" Merlin chirped, "Bye-bye, Gwen!" he shouted and waved energetically. Gwen smiled at him a little like one might at a small child and waved. Merlin said goodbye to Lance several more times as Arthur dragged him towards the door.

"Make sure you come back soon, Arthur," Lancelot ordered as they left. "and you should bring Merlin!". Lancelot had to shout as Arthur high-tailed it away from there. He could breathe easier now that he was away from Lance and Gwen's prying eyes (and gossiping mouths). In retrospect, maybe he shouldn't have taken Merlin there, he was sure Gwen would tell Morgana. He gave a silent prayer that Morgana either wouldn't believe it, or that she would suddenly fall mute.

Somehow Arthur managed to get Merlin back to his trailer. It wasn't easy, especially since Merlin insisted on touching Arthur the entire time. Merlin wouldn't stop giggling either. Arthur wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop so that he wouldn't be so distracted, but every time he looked at Merlin's dopey smile a pang ran through his body, and he found he didn't have the heart to do it.

Merlin fell twice trying to get up the three stairs of his trailer to unlock the door. Arthur was just surprised he was able to get up after the first tumble, since Merlin was laughing and gasping like a maniac. Arthur thought he saw that golden glint in Merlin's eyes again as he finally got the door unlocked.

"You're so drunk." Arthur muttered as he guided Merlin into the trailer.

"Nooooooooo!" Merlin replied obstinately. He spoke to soon though, and immediately tripped over his own feet. He flailing arms caught hold of Arthur and pulled them both to the ground. Merlin moaned like he might have been injured by Arthur's weight falling on him, so Arthur rolled to the side. Then Merlin started laughing again.

"Yeeees." Arthur found himself laughing along with him. He laid back, closed his eyes, and just let himself laugh. They laughed until their sides ached. Arthur couldn't even remember when he had last laughed like this. He reached his hand down and clasped Merlin's within it, squeezing lightly, feeling the thrill start from the touch, and flare when Merlin squeezed back.

"You're so pretty." Merlin sighed, pressing his lips wetly against Arthur's. Arthur groaned into his mouth, kissing back enthusiastically, and not with much more finesse.

"Not pretty." Arthur protested. As Merlin licked into his mouth, he rolled on top of Arthur, his hands creeping under Arthur's shirt to stroke his chest. Arthur could feel Merlin's arousal pressing into his hip, and promptly began to harden as well. Once Merlin felt the answering hardness, he began rolling his hips sinuously.

"No, gorgeous." Merlin corrected himself before nipping a line down Arthur's neck.

Arthur gave a breathless laugh, "You're such a girl, Merlin." Merlin's response was a displeased sound from somewhere down around Arthur's midsection.

"Am not." He whined, "I'll prove it to you," He sat up, straddling Arthur's thighs, and tried to get his fingers to unbuckle his own belt "As soon as I get this thing off." His brow furrowed in concentration.

The pause in action gave Arthur a moment to think. He held Merlin's hands still. "Stop, Merlin, get up." Merlin stumbled to his feet and attempted to help Arthur up. Once they were both standing, Merlin pushed himself up alongside Arthur again, and kissed him. "Stop." Arthur repeated, stepping back a little, and trying to catch his breath.

"I- but-" Merlin couldn't quite make a coherent sentence, but the hurt look in his eyes was enough. Arthur could swear he could almost see Merlin begin to shrivel into himself, withdrawing from the world.

"You're drunk," Arthur began, not quite believing that he was actually doing this, "I don't want to take advantage of that, of you." Merlin was more than ready to protest, but Arthur held up one hand to stop his words. "Not only that, but there's no reason to rush."

"But we already had sex!" Merlin exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "Why stop now?"

"You already seduced the maiden and did the deflowering," Arthur still wasn't sure he liked that wording, "I'm not going to run off now. I-" he took a deep breath, "I just don't want to mess this up." the words came out too fast, and a little jumbled, but Merlin seemed to understand just fine.

"And I'm the girl." he scoffed, rolling his eyes. He reached his hand out and stroked it up and down Arthur's arm longingly. "Are you at least going to stay the night?"

"I would, but I need to get home, Morgana is likely about ready to kill me as is." he said wistfully. The thought of them curled together on Merlin's tiny cot pulled at Arthur's heart. "Can I come back tomorrow to see you?"

"So long as your sister doesn't kill you." Merlin nodded and smiled.

"Kiss before I go?" Arthur asked sheepishly. Merlin gave him that 'you're the real girl' lookm and kissed him like he was trying to persuade him to stay. Arthur might have been just a little bit persuaded, or maybe more than a little bit persuaded. The simple pleasure of the chaste kiss was enough to make him throw everything to the wind. It was Merlin that pulled back.

"Go!" Merlin laughed as he pushed Arthur out the door. Arthur stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at Merlin.

"Thanks for today, Merlin." he said quietly, and he saw Merlin's eyes soften.

"Thank you." he said. Then his lips quirked into a grin again, "Now go home and let me wank, you prat!"

Arthur laughed, steeling himself against the urge to rush right back in. He turned and began to walk away. "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow. Night, Merlin." He looked back, but the door was already shut.

As soon as Arthur got home he took as cold a shower as he could stand. After he was done, he peered around the house. Morgana was nowhere to be seen, and the only sign of his father was the light shining out from beneath his office door.

Arthur threw himself onto his bed. He was too excited to really sleep, but much of his night was spent in a hazy land of ecstasy and Merlin's golden eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Friends and fans, girls and boys (and in-betweens), and...the rest, gather round! The author has unleashed the next chapter!  
**Alright, my sincerest apologies about the huge break. I had a horrible computer malfunction _ but we are up and running again people!  
I'd like to mention again the patient and wonderful beta Mandara, who makes sure you don't have to read comlete crap.  
Of course, thanks go out to all of you people who have read, rated, favourited, alerted, and just generally have hung in there with me. You are awesome to the max, and I love you dearly!  
Just thought I'd throw in there that this fic was added to the Two Sides, One Coin community on . Thanks! Having my fic there feels like winning an award! Consider checking out the community, darlings.  
Aaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnddddddddd...GO!

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"Good morning, Arthur." Arthur sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding, his breath caught in his throat. The figure sitting at the end of his bed didn't do anything to lessen his fear. Thankfully, his fright seemed to have wilted any stirrings that would normally occur below the belt in the morning.

"What do you want, Morgana?" he rubbed at his temple slightly. He might have partaken in just a little too much wine with Merlin.

"Do I have to want something to come see you?" Arthur stood and stretched, glancing back over his shoulder to shoot her a look of disbelief. He couldn't even think of the last time Morgana had come to see him without ulterior motives.

"What is it, Morgana?"

"I received some very interesting texts from Gwen last night, even a couple from Lance. I have questions, dear brother, and I want answers."

"What sort of texts?" Arthur tried to keep the fear out of his voice, but from the predatory smile that appeared on Morgana's face, he knew he hadn't done a very good job.

Morgana procured her phone. "Well, let us see…ah, the first one from Gwen says, and I quote: 'omg, didn't know about Arthur, his bf is so cute!'."

"I was just there with-" Arthur began to protest.

"Just keep quiet until I finish." Morgana interrupted. "Then, a little bit later I received one from Lancelot, 'Artie here with totally hot guy. Maybe now he'll stop eyeing Gwen.'." Arthur opened his mouth to argue again, but Morgana shot him a look that forced him to promptly shut his mouth again. "Next, I had sent Gwen a message asking her what was going on, and I get the reply 'trying to send psychic message KISS HIM, ARTHUR'. Then, Lance again, 'they flew the coop. sexytimes now I think.', and right after, from Gwen 'left together. pissed. Love is in the air. Merlin's adorable'." Morgana put her phone away and stared at Arthur for a long moment. Arthur frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation.

"Um, so…" Arthur started.

"Who is this 'Merlin' fellow, Arthur?"

"Merlin is…" Arthur swallowed his pride. "He's from the carnival, the magician. We hit it off, and spent the day together." he shrugged after, as if it weren't a big deal.

"You like him then?"

"I've never met anyone so- he's just really-" Arthur found himself at loss. What did he really know about Merlin? What could he really say about him?

"Go on." Morgana prompted. Arthur ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"He's amazing." he finished simply. He worried his lower lip. He was in no way used to being this open about anything, and Morgana usually didn't push him for answers. He peered at her, half expecting to be met by a look of disgust, but he only saw a mix of sympathy and happiness in her eyes.

"Are you going to tell Uther?" she asked softly.

"Well, I was thinking no, never."

"Arthur, you know better than that. You know you can't keep something like this from him forever. You'll hate him for it, and even worse, you'll end up hating yourself for it too."

"How am I supposed to tell him something like this, Morgana?" he asked angrily. "Just walk up to him while he's reading his morning paper and say "Hey, dad, guess what? I'm pretty sure I'm gay!"? Then what? I'm his only son, don't you think he's going to be angry that the Pendragon name could die with me? I can never tell him. Besides, how do I know this isn't just a phase? Maybe in a week, this whole thing will amount to nothing." Arthur was still a little bit confused by the whole ordeal, it was as though too many things, too many feelings, had been thrown at him all at once.

"Lower you voice, Arthur, or he'll find out in a much less pleasant manner than he could." Arthur sat on the edge of his bed, resting his head in his hands. Morgana moved to sit beside him. Her hand rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

"He's going to hate me." he whispered.

"Uther is not quite the monster you imagine him to be."

"I have no idea what to say."

"You'll think of something." Morgana stood and smiled. "Don't you have other things to worry about too, though? The carnival isn't going to stay in town forever."

"I'll worry about that when the time comes." Arthur sighed. He didn't want to think about Merlin leaving, not yet.

"Alright."

There was doubt and worry in Morgana's voice, but Arthur decided just to ignore it. Morgana started to head out of the room.

"Hey, Morgana?" she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Stick around for a while will you? I'll need you to call the coroner after my father kills me." He didn't miss the quick grin that flashed over her face.

"It would be my pleasure."

So Arthur began preparing for his day. He showered, and picked out his clothes. He took the time to carefully style his hair in an 'I just got up this way' manner. If it took him longer than normal to get ready, it wasn't so much because he was stalling, it was more because…no, he was stalling. There was no way around it.

Arthur made his way slowly down the stairs to the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table with a coffee, reading the paper.

"Morning, father." Arthur said, putting bread into the toaster. Uther glanced at him over the top of the paper.

"Good morning, Arthur."

"Do you have a moment? I uh- I need to speak with you." Arthur forced himself to say. His heart was already pounding away furiously. He tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine, that Uther wouldn't get too upset with him, but it wasn't working at all.

Uther folded his paper, and set it down in front of him. "Yes?" he looked at his son as though he knew he wouldn't like what was about to happen. Arthur pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. He folded his hands together, hoping that would hide how they were shaking.

_Just get this over with. _"So I think that maybe, er, rather it has been brought to my attention…" Arthur trailed off, his nerve already dwindling. Uther's face was void of emotion as he waited for his son to continue. "I'm-" the loud pop of his toast spring up caused Arthur to jump. He clambered over towards it, trying to gain some control over his breathing. He methodically buttered the toast, avoiding the burning gaze Uther was still casting in his direction. He bit off a rather large portion, and made a pleased sort of grunt before glancing at Uther.

"You were going to tell me something, Arthur?" Uther reminded him.

Arthur swallowed, "Oh, yes, that," he took a deep breath, "I'm…." He said hurriedly, giving an inward sigh. He couldn't do it, not yet at least.

"I thought we discussed this before. Election time will be here before you know it, and I need people on my campaign team. You are to be an essential part, Arthur, you don't have time to go back to school right now." There was an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Yes, but-"

"Look, if we must, we can discuss this later. I have meetings to attend to today. You should come with me." It wasn't so much a question of whether or not Arthur wanted to go, as it was an order.

"I'd love to, really," it was good that Uther wasn't terribly good as seeing through Arthur's lies, "but I have, er… things to do, yeah, I promised somebody I'd see them today, and I can't break these plans."

"And who are you seeing that is so important? This had better not be about some girl, Arthur." Uther warned.

"No! No, it isn't a girl. It's a friend, I'm going to help him…go over some stuff with his work, yeah. It's really important that we get it done today." He nodded, as if to emphasize how important it truly was. Uther looked him over suspiciously, and for a terrifying moment Arthur thought he wasn't going to make further inquiries.

"Very well, but there is a town meeting tomorrow. You will be there, and I don't care what plans you have to break to do so."

Arthur nodded again, "Of course, father, I wouldn't miss it." He poured himself a cup of coffee, and took it and his remaining toast with him as he made his escape from the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he nearly collided head on with Morgana.

"Cripes, Morgana, you're everywhere, aren't you?"

"So it should seem." She gave a quick grin, before her face turned serious again. "You're thinking about going back to school, like I've been saying you should?"

"Yes, Morgana, like you've been telling me I should." He couldn't keep himself from rolling his eyes. He started walking away from her so he wouldn't have to look at the smug, triumphant look on her face.

"Don't walk away from me, Arthur Pendragon! We still have things to talk about!" Arthur never turned around, but he could hear her quick footsteps coming up behind him. "I need to know more about this _friend _you are going to see." She stood right behind him, and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Merlin, you're going to see him again." There was a certain evil joy in her voice that made Arthur want to shudder.

"I'd love to talk," he drained half of his cup of coffee in one gulp, "I really would, but I have places to be, people to see. So I'm sure you won't mind if I leave you now to get ready." He turned and handed her the cup, which, in her surprise, Morgana actually took. "Here, have some toast." He shoved the piece at her brusquely before smiling as he brushed crumbs from his hands. He bounded up the stairs towards the bathroom.

After reassuring himself that he looked fine, Arthur left the house without saying goodbye to Uther or Morgana (it was the only way he could be sure to get away). He stopped by one of his favourite cafes to pick up some tea and a croissant. With food and drink in hand, he appeared at the step of Merlin's trailer. He knocked, then waited what seemed like a lifetime before a groggy-looking Merlin opened the door.

"Arthur." he slurred as he grinned and rubbed at one eye with the heel of his hand.

"I brought you breakfast." Arthur proffered his purchase. "Are you going to let me in?" Merlin bobbled his head up and down as he turned to go back in. Arthur followed him in, pushing the door shut with his shoulder.

Merlin slumped into one of the chairs at his small table, and held his hands out for his breakfast. Arthur gave it to him and sat in the other chair. He watched quietly as Merlin ate and slowly woke up. He wasn't aware of just how alert Merlin had become until he'd reached across to wipe a bit of butter from the corner of Merlin's mouth; Merlin had quickly trapped Arthurs finger between his lips and had proceeded to clean it thoroughly with his tongue. Arthur nearly groaned aloud when Merlin released his finger with a small 'pop' and peered at him through thick eyelashes.

"When are your shows today?" Arthur asked, needing to distract both of them.

"11, 3, and 7." Merlin listed. "Would you like to be my assistant? I won't make you wear a shiny dress, but I will call you Trixie."

"You're not going to make me shoot at you again, right?" he asked warily. When Merlin shook his head he agreed. He could hardly resist an opportunity to observe the tricks up close.

"So did your sister rag you out for last night?" Merlin asked between sips of tea.

"Not really. Gwen and Lance had already informed her of where I was and what was going on." he shot Merlin a pained look. Merlin grinned lasciviously and Arthur felt a twitch in his groin.

"You didn't really mean what you said last night, did you, Arthur?" he didn't even need to ask Merlin what he meant.

"I meant it." It was Merlin's turn to look pained.

"Are there any loopholes in that?" Arthur felt a hand come to rest halfway up his thigh.

"I'm afraid not. Why, wasn't your wanking sufficient?" he asked in jest. Merlin's head dropped down as if he were silently conferring with his groin. After a moment he looked back at Arthur.

"No." he said. "Is kissing out of line?"

"We kissed last night, no?" Arthur pointed out.

"Superb." Merlin leaned over the table and captured Arthur's lips. The small shiver that ran through Merlin's body indicated to Arthur that he wasn't alone in feeling that increasingly familiar tingle.

Arthur pulled back before Merlin could attempt to turn the kiss into something more. "So, uh…" he stole a sip of tea, "you seem in fairly good shape considering you drank at least your own volume of alcohol last night." Merlin sort of shrugged. "What, do you have some sort of magic pills or something?" Arthur could have sworn something flickered over Merlin's face when he said 'magic'.

"Yeah, or something."

Arthur, realizing Merlin wasn't going to say any more about the matter, tried again. "Are you going to teach me how to do these tricks?"

"You don't have to learn a thing, you just need to be there when the time comes, and do what I ask." Merlin smiled a little at him.

"You're not even going to teach me one?" Arthur was disappointed.

"Er, well, you see…the tricks I know aren't really things you can just learn…not in a day at least. It takes years of study, and a…natural talent, you might say."

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "And I don't have this natural talent?"

"It's hard to say really, but…you have so many other…qualities about you, Arthur. Magic tricks should really be the last thing on your mind." Arthur didn't appreciate Merlin trying to worm his way out of answering clearly.

"It was you that asked me to help." he pointed out.

"If you don't want to help, you don't have to; my feelings won't be hurt." Arthur didn't really believe that was true.

"I want to help!"

"Then help!" Merlin threw up his hands, then muttered, "Prat." under his breath. He caught Arthur looking as his exasperatedly and he gave a little laugh.

"Our first quarrel, then?" Merlin was smirking.

"Not likely to be the last." Arthur agreed.

"Come on, we'd better go toss the last show off my stage." Arthur glanced at his watch and nodded in agreement.

Merlin grabbed a red handkerchief off a chair and stood by the door.

"That's all you're taking?" Arthur asked. It seemed like an awfully small amount of props to use for a whole show.

"What else would I need? You don't want to do the bullet one again." Arthur shook his head and proceeded to grab things for Merlin: a knife, a wand, a ring. He picked up one more item, trying not to laugh as he turned towards Merlin with it.

"No." Merlin said adamantly when he saw what Arthur had in his hands. "You've got to be kidding me." He backed up a step, but found his back against the side of the trailer, and him without anywhere to go.

"Oh, no." Arthur jammed the tall, pointy hat down onto Merlin's head; it was dark blue, nearly black, with silver stars and crescent moons on it; exactly what every good magician should have. "You wouldn't happen to have a matching robe somewhere would you?"

"I'm not wearing some stupid robe, Arthur Pendragon!" Arthur shrugged a little, rolling his eyes.

"Then I suppose the hat will have to do." He shoved the wand into Merlins hand, and opened the door for him.

They marched together towards the stage where Merlin performed. The other performers and carnies greeted them on their way. Some of them even remembered Arthur. All of them grinned wickedly at Merlin and his hat, and a red flush was working its way up the back of his neck; Arthur hid his own smile. The preceding act had already cleared its props off the stage, so they didn't even have to wait to get on.

Some of the crowd was still lingering from the show before, and when they saw Merlin with his hat, it seemed they decided to stick around. Merlin gave a shrill whistle between his thumb and forefinger to gain the attention of any others nearby.

"Gather round! Gather round, and see the magic and mysteries of the magnificent Merlin!" he proclaimed. More people were lured in. Arthur's heart started beating more quickly; there were quite a few people around the stage now, some that he recognized, and some that he was sure recognized him. Merlin smirked as he caught sight of Arthur's discomfort. "I have a special assistant for my shows today. You know him best as the mayor's son; the handsome and enchanting Arthur Pendragon!" there was actually a smattering of applause. "However, for today's purposes, he has agreed to be called Trixie." Polite laughter followed this comment, and Arthur face turned red. He supposed it was only fair though, he had forced Merlin to wear the hat.

"For my first trick, I will make this hat vanish into thin air. Let's all hope it stays there too." He removed the hat from his head and crushed it down flat. He then pulled out the red handkerchief with a flourish, covering the hat with it. He waved his hand over the fabric twice, then snapped his fingers. He whipped off the handkerchief, and low and behold, the hat was gone. Arthur had been too nervous to really watch what Merlin had been doing, but magicians made things disappear all the time, it wasn't really such a special trick. The crowd was more impressed than he was though.

Merlin did a few card tricks, the first of which was conjuring up the cards (Arthur didn't remember grabbing the cards, but Merlin must have while he wasn't looking). Arthur stood in the background trying not to draw any attention to himself.

"Now to make use of my assistant." He looked back toward Arthur and beckoned him foreword. "Trixie, if you please. May I have the ring?" Arthur pulled the ring out from his pocket and passed it to Merlin. "Just an ordinary ring. No tricks about it." Merlin held it up to prove it, he even let a couple of the audience members look it over to validate his comment. When it had become the common consensus that it was in fact an ordinary ring, Merlin stepped towards Arthur. "Hold out you hand please, yes, just like that, in front of you. Very good." Arthur's hand was extended out, palm up. Merlin placed the ring in Arthur's palm, then covered it with his own hand, placing his other hand underneath Arthur's. He rubbed his hands in small circles against Arthur's, then quick as a flash, lifted his hand up high to show the crowd that the ring was now firmly at the base of Arthur's forefinger. Arthur looked up at his hand, astonished. He hadn't felt anything other than the normal shock of touching Merlin.

Arthur was still looking at his hand rather puzzled, when Merlin took the wand from him to do some more tricks. He used it to pull at an assortment of the audiences' belongings out from beneath the handkerchief. He returned all of the items to the stunned, but pleased people.

By the time Merlin was bringing the show to its end, Arthur had gathered his wits about him, and he resolved to watch the final trick very carefully. Merlin was referring to his last trick as the grand finale. Arthur was obliging as possible when he stepped up to hand Merlin the knife with the same finesse an assistant should use. He was concentrating so closely on Merlin's every movement that he didn't really hear the words Merlin was saying to the audience. He did however hear the gasps and screams when Merlin rammed the knife through his own palm. Merlin hunched over a little, as if in pain, and if he wasn't, he certainly had Arthur fooled. The knife dropped to the floor of the stage as Merlin wrapped his hand in the red handkerchief. Arthur moved forward, needing to check his hand, needing to help. He felt a little bit sick. He should have stopped Merlin. He saw the gold glow take over Merlin's eyes, and he stepped back. Merlin released the handkerchief, and it floated to the ground. Arthur felt numb as he watched Merlin hold the hand up triumphantly to show that there wasn't a single mark on it.

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Do you think you could find it in your heart to leave a comment? Perhaps something to tell me that you don't hate me for leaving you hanging so long? Or maybe just to rag me out for that reason...


	7. Chapter 7

Dearest readers, I know I left this fic for a frightfully long time; there were first issues with writing, and then with editing. However, I am pleased to announce that they story is complete, and ready for publishing. I will be publishing the final chapters within the next couple of weeks.  
Thanks go to my dear friend, MooMoo, for reading over the fic when I turned to her (you are AWESOME!). HUGE GIGANTIC thanks go to the readers, new and old; this is dedicated to you!

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Chappie 7

"I really wish you'd give me more warning about such tricks." Arthur grumbled as he and Merlin walked side by side back to the trailer.

Merlin laughed. "What, and ruin the magic for you?"

"I'd prefer that." Arthur mumbled under his breath. He grabbed Merlin's hand for the third time since the end of the show to look it over.

"Are you really worried that I'm hurt, or do you just want to hold my hand?" Merlin asked. Arthur felt himself blushing, but he didn't release Merlin's hand.

"A little of both, perhaps." he admitted. Merlin threaded his fingers together with Arthur's to give a firm squeeze.

"I still have two more shows today, and you won't let me use any more knives or guns. You are severely limiting my creative potential, Arthur Pendragon." he chastised.

"And you are severely limiting your lifespan with your magic tricks." he retorted. He caught Merlin rolling his eyes, but he decided he would ignore it, for now. He opened the door of the trailer and collapsed into a chair by the table, resting his head in his hand. He felt some cool metal against his face, and he moved his hand to inspect it. The ring. He tugged at it, so he could return it to Merlin, but found that it wouldn't budge from his finger.

"Having troubles?" Merlin asked, peering over at what Arthur was doing. Arthur scowled at him.

"You magicked this damn ring onto my finger so convincingly that now it doesn't want to come off!" he gave it another pull to attest to this.

"Then perhaps you should leave it." Merlin suggested. Arthur gave him a pointed look, ignoring the uncertain thump his heart gave.

"And how would I explain it?"

"The truth?" Merlin tried. Arthur sighed, and went back to trying to remove the ring. He felt guilty about hiding Merlin, Merlin deserved better than that, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything more.

"Here, you're going to pull your finger off at this rate." Merlin took Arthur hand with his own. "You're tensing up, is all." Arthur squinted up at Merlin as he worked the ring off, mumbling something under his breath. It was too dark to see Merlin's eyes, but Arthur had the oddest feeling that they would be gold. The ring slipped off Arthur's finger. Merlin placed it on the table and sat down. Arthur picked up the ring and slid it on and off his finger a couple of times. It moved easily. Arthur opened his mouth to comment on this, but when he looked over at Merlin, he promptly shut it again.

Merlin looked…well, Arthur wasn't sure how he looked. Not sad, exactly, but not happy. Pensive maybe.

"Is something wrong?" Arthur asked. Merlin stared into his gaze for a moment.

"Oh, Arthur." he whispered. His hand reached over and brushed at Arthur's hair. Arthur grasped the hand and held it tight.

"What?" he pressed.

"I-" Merlin sighed, " just have so many things I want to tell you." he shrugged as though it weren't that important.

"I'll listen, I promise."

"Really?" Arthur nodded earnestly. "I'm not so sure listening is one of your best qualities." Merlin deliberated jokingly, obviously deciding to veer off the vague topic.

"That's only because I have so many other great qualities to list." Arthur assured him with a grin.

"Of course." Merlin smiled and rolled his eyes.

"I'm hungry. Shall I make something?" Merlin said. Arthur thought back to the meal he had seen Merlin prepare before.

"Why don't we stuff ourselves with crappy carnival food. I've never eaten so much cotton candy that I have been full." Arthur suggested.

Merlin laughed, "You'll puke first, trust me on this one."

"You've tried?" It didn't surprise him that much, but Merlin looked far to thin for someone who could consume that much sugar. Merlin nodded and grimaced.

"Maybe we should try with caramel corn!" Merlin eyes lit up, as though this were the most brilliant idea he had ever had. Arthur agreed, and they set out.

Four bags was the limit.

Arthur noted this as he sat cramped up beside the toilet in Merlin's trailer. Merlin, much to his displeasure, looked perfectly fine, and was in fact, picking the last crumbs out of a bag.

"Never again." he swore, lifting himself from the ground. He felt a little bit trembly, but not as though he might throw up again.

"You say that now." Merlin remarked, licking his finger tips in an entirely obscene manner. Arthur wavered where he was standing, and Merlin looked at him with concern. He went and stood by Arthur, slipping an arm around him to help stabilize him.

"It might be best if you lay down for a bit." Merlin said, already leading him over to the cot. He stretched out on his stomach, and allowed Merlin to rub his back some. His touch was one of the most pleasant things he had ever experienced, not in a sexual way, but something beyond your average massage. It felt…regenerative. He turned his head and looked back at Merlin, whose own head was bent over him, his eyes shaded.

"Feeling any better?" Merlin asked after a few minutes, leaning forward to put his face by Arthur's on the pillow.

Arthur nodded, "Much, actually. You have the magic touch."

"Why, thank you." Merlin chuckled, "Glad to be of service." He gave him a quick peck on the nose. Arthur cupped Merlin's face in his hand, running his thumb back and forth over his cheekbone.

"You're a strange man, Merlin."

"Is that so bad?" Merlin asked.

"No." Arthur said simply, keeping himself from giving too much away, both to Merlin and to himself. When the corners of Merlin's face quirked into a smile he felt his breath catch. As much as he knew he was in dangerous waters, it was far too late to pull himself out now.

"Well, Arthur Pendragon, if you aren't going to let me ravish you, and you aren't going to let me do any of the really fun magic, I suspect I'd best find something I am allowed to do." as Merlin said this, he sat up in bed. He stopped and looked back down, "Unless you've changed your mind about the sex thing." Arthur gave him as stern a look as he was able to muster

"Do the trick with the ring again. I want to see it again." he sat up as well, and even proffered his hand to Merlin. He was sure he would be able to pay enough attention this time to catch how he did it.

"Gladly." Merlin pulled the ring seemingly out of nowhere (but surely out of his pocket), and placed it on Arthur's palm once again. Before Merlin had a chance to cover the ring with his own hand, Arthur held up his opposite hand, stopping Merlin. He observed the ring carefully, noting the dull shine of the gold, the worn edges; an old ring, certainly. When he decided he knew what the ring looked like well enough to recognize it, he lowered his hand and let Merlin continue. Merlin covered the ring with his hand, and cupped Arthur's from the underside with his other hand. Arthur could still feel the ring pressed between their two hands; it was there for sure. Merlin squeezed a little, then rotated his hands in a couple of quick circles, before whipping them away. There, on the same finger, was the ring. Arthur stared down at it; it looked like the same ring. He peered at Merlin, his eyes slanted with suspicion. The grabbed both of Merlin's arms and peered into his sleeves.

"I hate to use a cliché, but there's nothing up my sleeves."

"There has to be." Arthur grumbled. He shoved a hand to feel around in the sleeve. Nothing.

"Really? Couldn't it just be real magic?" Merlin's face was blank. Arthur stared at him for a moment before laughing. He was sure what he was laughing at, and he didn't really want to examine it too closely either.

He tugged at the ring. Once again, he couldn't remove it. He sighed and looked at Merlin hopelessly.

"You asked for it this time. I'm not taking it off." Merlin said smugly. Arthur thought back to Merlin saying it was because he was too tense. He took a deep breath in, and as he exhaled slowly he tried to pull the ring off. It didn't even budge. He didn't need to look at Merlin to know he would still be grinning in that self-satisfied way. "Besides, there's no time, it's nearly three. The stage calls us, Trixie!" Arthur rolled his eyes and set to gathering some props before following Merlin out.

There were a few people hovering about the stage, waiting for Merlin to begin. One person turned their head, and catching sight of Arthur burst into a smile. Morgana was there, as was Gwen, and Lancelot.

"Hello, Arthur." Morgana said, approaching him, the other two were close behind her.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked.

"Well, if you weren't going to bring Merlin to us, we have to go to him, no?" At that moment, Merlin realized Gwen and Lancelot were there, and had bounded over to greet them enthusiastically. They took care of introducing Merlin and Morgana to each other, a task that Arthur was, frankly, glad not to have to complete, before Merlin whisked Arthur onto the stage.

Many of the tricks were standard, and Arthur didn't worry about observing them too closely; he'd seen enough magicians disappear this, and reappear that to not be wary of such things. Merlin had made no indications that he was going to do any huge, crazy tricks, but Arthur had caught on to the pattern. There would be something. He was afraid to think about what it might be.

Finally, Merlin announced it was time for his final trick. He called Arthur over, and brandished a large piece of fabric, larger than a cover. He and Arthur stretched the fabric out so it could be seen that there was nothing off about it, it was simply fabric. Merlin stepped close to him for a moment, and whispered "I'll be in the trailer." into Arthur's ear before, swirling the fabric up and over him. By the time the fabric should have settled closely around Merlin's form, it could be seen that he was no longer there, and the fabric simply fell to the ground.

The audience was impressed, applauding with vigor. Arthur stood glaring at the fabric.

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Hopefully that was worth the wait. Feel free to berate me with comments about how you suffered waiting for this...or with nice reviews.

Love,


	8. Chapter 8

Hiya darlings. Here's the next installment, and I think this is an exciting one (but that's just me lol). Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks to all the new readers who've favourited, put me in their alerts, etc., it keeps me focused on bringing you guys slashy goodness!  
Enjoy!

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Chapter 8

As people cleared away from the stage, Arthur's friends gathered closer around. Lancelot was all smiles and full of compliments for Merlin's show, and Gwen seemed no less impressed than she had when she saw the show the first time. Morgana was more silent and sullen though. She stepped up onto the stage to stand next to Arthur as he folded the fabric and gathered the props.

"There's something odd about him." Morgana said

"Merlin?" Morgana nodded. "You don't like him?" he asked. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Morgana's opinion did matter to him; she'd always had something of a sixth-sense about important matters.

"Now, I never said that. He seems nice, there's just… something. I can't quite put my finger on it." Arthur saw the dark look in Morgana's eyes, something he had only seen a handful of times before, but he knew what it meant: she was puzzled. There really was something about Merlin that she was questioning. Arthur thought it might be the same something he wondered about.

Arthur excused himself from his friends and stomped back towards the trailer, props tucked under his arms. He had to push open the door with his foot so that he could get in. He dumped everything on top of the table, some of it falling to the ground, but he didn't think Merlin would really notice that.

"Oh, good, you got everything." Merlin said, walking out from the washroom.

"You're the worst magician ever, you know." he fumed. "You leave all your junk for your assistant!"

"You insisted upon taking it." Merlin pointed out. Arthur only huffed in response. "Come now, don't be sore." Merlin pressed a light kiss to the corner of Arthur's mouth. Arthur wouldn't ever admit it, but it did lighten his mood a little. He leaned in towards Merlin a little more to steal a second kiss, one that Merlin was more than happy to provide him with.

"Arthur," Merlin began, wrapping his arms around Arthur's waist and kissing him again, "Would you do something for me?"

"Anything." Arthur breathed without thinking. Merlin was smiling during the next kiss.

"Will you stay tonight?" Arthur paused. "I promise I won't try any funny business to try and get you off your 'no sex' rule." Arthur chuckled.

"Yeah," he replied simply, "Yeah."

"Thank you."

They folded themselves around each other on the bed and talked. Arthur couldn't remember the last time he had talked so much with one of his mates, but conversation was easy with Merlin. Arthur talked about school, and his days in sports, and what he could remember of his mother. Merlin talked about his own mother and all the places he had been. It seemed like neither of them could get enough of the other; they wanted to absorb all the information about them they could. When they couldn't think of anything to say, they would simply observe the way their fingers were entwined, or more closely examine the blue of each other's eyes.

When they got hungry, Arthur reluctantly allowed Merlin to make something. He felt fortunate, as it was most obviously a sandwich, and while the taste was not like anything he had ever experienced, it was, overall, edible. Merlin allowed Arthur to rib him about his cooking, but not without insisting that those who complain must cook the next time.

"Last show of the day." Merlin announced some time later, tugging at Arthur's hand to get him to stand. Arthur groaned a little, he was quite comfortable on the bed. "Come on, where will I be without my lovely assistant?" Arthur groaned a little louder, but got off the bed.

"Yes, I suppose I should go with you, god knows how you get along without me." Merlin shook his head with exasperation, and Arthur grinned.

"Shall I bring props, or are you going to make them appear magically?" Arthur asked, finger-combing his hair into place.

"If I make them appear with a flick of my wrist, or wiggle of my fingers, it just adds more magic to the show, doesn't it?"

"I suppose." Arthur concurred. "Also, then I don't have to carry them."

They went to the stage and did the show. Arthur found he was beginning to like being up there with Merlin; it was certainly never dull. Merlin, true to his word, made several props appear from nowhere, but Arthur was thankful that he also made them disappear back into the void as well. For his big trick near the end, Merlin levitated, not a mere foot or so above the stage, but up above Arthur's head, and he couldn't deny that he was as impressed as the crowd, as he still couldn't figure out how Merlin managed to do such things.

Instead of trekking back to the trailer afterwards, Merlin goaded Arthur into going on some rides with him. When they rode the teacups, Arthur spun their part about so fast that the other man was beginning to turn a bit green. They laughed till their sides hurt at the back of a small rollercoaster for children, and if the kids looked at them oddly, they only laughed harder. As the sun set, they found themselves at the Ferris wheel; Merlin talked the man running the ride into letting them say on as long as they wanted. They stayed on for a long time, talking, and looking out over the carnival, lit-up brightly for the night.

"One last time before we retire for the night?" Merlin asked after a while. Arthur nodded. While they were stopped at the top, he observed Merlin in the darkness, the way his pale skin glowed and his eyes sparkled. He clasped his hand within his own and kissed him gently. In that moment everything was perfect.

They later collapsed into Merlin's small bed, both smiling and happy.

"I'm glad you stayed." Merlin whispered.

"Me too." Arthur replied, kissing Merlin's forehead. The man snuggled in a little closer to him, pressing his lips to the sensitive spot beneath Arthur's ear. As the now-familiar frisson took over their bodies, they tangled together more closely, lips seeking lips. Arthur's hands caressed over Merlin, finger's slipping just under the hem of his shirt. Merlin's warm breath brushed over his face, shifting his hair.

"Arthur." Merlin breathed, face and voice full of emotion that he knew was reflected upon his own visage.

"You know," Arthur said, trying to collect his thoughts a tad, "I might be able to put aside my 'no sex' rule." Merlin grinned, and kissed Arthur ferociously, then got out of bed.

"Just stay there, I'm going to grab something." he walked to the other side of the trailer to get something. Arthur heard him rummaging around before victoriously stating 'Found it!" He never found out what he had found though, because as Merlin walked back towards the bed, he bumped against the table and things went clattering onto the floor.

"Oops." Merlin muttered, as he looked at the things on the floor where they had landed. He bent down to put the book back on the table, and as he stood again, some of the papers from the floor floated up and stacked themselves beside the tome. Merlin saw the papers and his head drooped in a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Arthur froze for a moment. Then he slowly sat up, looking at Merlin. "Do that again." he insisted in a hushed voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the handkerchief rise from the floor and settle on the table.

They were looking directly into each other's eyes, and there was no way for Arthur to miss the gold as it crept through Merlin's pupils. He felt a shiver of something pass over his skin. Suddenly all the times before, the odd moments that he had never quite understood, but had struck him as strange, they all fell into place.

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How was that? Leave a comment with reactions, maybe? Especially if you can't wait for the next part!

Love and thanks -


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the delay, my dears! Life and work got in the way. Nevertheless, here is chapter 9! Only one chapter left after this; I hope you guys are as excited as I am.

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Chapter 9

"Magic." he whispered, finally able to put a name to it.

"Arthur," Merlin began, realizing that he was now fully aware of what was occurring.

"You said there were things you wanted to tell me; was this one of those things? Were you ever going to tell me, or were you just going to keep it a secret?" Arthur could hear the hurt edge in his voice.

"I-I wanted to tell you, really, Arthur. This isn't something that I enjoy hiding!" Merlin half-shouted.

"I-" there were a million things to say running through his mind, but he couldn't decide which one was best, "I need to go." That hadn't been one of the aforementioned things, it had just popped out of nowhere.

Arthur pushed out of the trailer into the night, and walked away as quickly as he could without running. He never looked back once.

And he didn't go back the next day. He laid in bed all day, pleading ill to whomever disturbed him. He didn't sleep. He didn't move, not even in the afternoon when Morgana came into his room and sat herself on the edge of his bed.

"You're going to stay in here all day, are you?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question, and she didn't really wait for him to answer.

"I don't know what happened, why you're not with Merlin at this very moment, but I have a feeling it has to do with him; that 'something' about him." she sat silently for a moment, as though she might be mulling the situation over in her mind. "Is it really that bad, Arthur, so bad that you would never see him again, never speak to him again? Is anything that bad?" she sat for another moment, likely ensuring he had heard everything she had to say before leaving, and closing the door behind her.

Arthur had been listening to her, though he had tried his hardest to be deaf to her words. Was it that bad? Could he really keep himself from ever seeing Merlin again? It was hurting him now, to be apart from the other man, no matter what had gone on between them, no matter what Merlin was or had done. The more Arthur thought about the matter, the more he realized that the magic was not the problem. It was…odd, no doubt, but also thrilling, and it sent delightful shivers down his spine, eliciting a sort of joy and hopefulness he had not experienced since childhood. No, magic was not the problem, it was the secret. Merlin hadn't trusted Arthur well-enough to tell him. Of course, they had not known each other very long, but that had not kept them from becoming close. After Arthur had pushed aside his fear of his father to see Merlin, and Merlin could not free himself from his own fear for Arthur.

He felt betrayed, it was as simple as that.

Despite this betrayal, however, Arthur could not stop his mind from wandering back to the good things he had experienced with Merlin. The ridiculous dinner during which he discovered Merlin got along brilliantly with his friends, laying on the floor of the trailer laughing companionably, the kisses and the sex (which Arthur admitted somewhat hesitantly to himself, was the best he had ever experienced), and simply being with Merlin, enjoying each other's company.

Arthur's stomach knotted up. He wanted to be with Merlin as this very moment. He wanted Merlin to assure him that everything was alright, and for it to be true. He wished reverently that Merlin didn't have magic so that this whole situation had never happened.

Merlin had wanted to tell him, he'd started to, Arthur could not deny that, and it made him feel minutely better. He thought about all the times he had seen those gold eyes. Merlin hadn't really tried to hide his magic, not from Arthur. It happened often enough, it just seemed so natural to his very being.

A thought struck Arthur: if Merlin really didn't trust Arthur with this knowledge, wouldn't he have tried harder to hide it?

Arthur leapt out of bed. He'd never felt for anyone what he felt for Merlin, could he let that slip by him, just because Merlin couldn't find the words to explain this to him? Arthur couldn't think of anyway to explain it himself. It wasn't as though Arthur didn't have his own secrets; everybody did. He wanted Merlin, and he planned to have him.

He glanced at the clock, and his heart sank a little. It was late, too late to go to Merlin now. Arthur decided he would just have to wait until the next day, though he had to go with Uther first. He felt certain, however, that he still had plenty of time to right what was wrong.

Finally, with a happy sigh, Arthur was able to return to bed and fall asleep to dream of Merlin.

Arthur was woken from a brilliant dream involving himself and Merlin, friction and heat, by Uther looming over his bed. He'd awoken in some unpleasant ways before, but he thought this might have been the worst of them all.

"Up, Arthur. You're coming to city hall today." he said. Arthur tried not to groan as he pushed himself up. He wasn't exactly sure why he had felt it was necessary to promise his father he would sit in on the meeting, but he knew that there was no getting out of it now.

He dressed, pulling out his suit, which had not been worn since a friend's wedding, several years ago. He made himself look as immaculate as possible, for he knew Uther would accept no less. Uther made no comment on his appearance when he went down to meet him, so Arthur knew he looked suitable; he would have heard otherwise, if he did not.

Uther spoke about what would be on the table that day. Arthur would nod occasionally, though he did not hear a single word his father said. Even if he had cared to listen, he couldn't imagine himself finding it terribly interesting anyhow.

They passed the fair-grounds on their way to city hall, and it was all Arthur could do not to run to them, and into Merlin's arms. He didn't though, he felt he owed it to his father to go to city hall this one time.

Uther made sure to introduce Arthur to the other's at the meeting. He murmured to Arthur that it would do him good to have these connections. Arthur politely greeted them, and even tried to make a little small-talk with those he had met before. Uther looked as though he were pleased with his behaviour.

Sitting in city hall with his father and the other local representatives, Arthur knew that he would never be able to follow his father into politics. No matter how disappointed Uther would be, he could not stand the thought of being mayor; he didn't like the idea of any job that would tie him to one place…while Merlin continued travelling.

He knew he would have to explain it to his father, and that it wouldn't be easy, but he had time yet. Morgana, perhaps, would help him, she had a way with Uther. Arthur could feel himself filling slowly with excitement for his future, one hopefully, with Merlin. He could not wait to go see the man, he already missed his blue eyes and his messy hair. He shoved down the small fearful voice inside of him that questioned whether or not Merlin would see him; he knew Merlin felt the same as he did.

Uther glanced at his son, and gave a rare half-smile, evidently misconstruing the happiness in Arthur as excitement for politics. Arthur gave a small nod, and tried to make it appear like he was paying attention to the drudgery around him.

The meeting dragged on forever, the representatives arguing over the most pathetic things. He tried to think of ways to get out of that place. Every moment he spent in that stuffy place with equally stuffy people felt like a wasted moment, a moment that he could have spent with Merlin, apologizing for running out on him, and kissing the man until he forgave him. When it finally ended, Arthur practically ran from city hall. He could hear his father calling his name, but he didn't stop, and he didn't turn around. He was racing to get to Merlin as soon as he possibly could, just as his heart raced with the very thought of being with the man.

His heart was pounding ferociously as he approached the fair-grounds. Then, he could have sworn it stopped beating altogether.

Arthur looked forlornly around the now-empty ground where the carnival had been. Merlin wasn't there; nobody was there - not even one single person that Arthur could talk to, to find out information, to ask where he might be able to find Merlin. He gasped for air desperately, trying to gain some control over his racing mind and his breaking heart.

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DON'T KILL ME! THERE IS STILL ANOTHER CHAPTER!  
Comments are appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, dear friends. I apologize for making you all wait so long for this (stupid life, getting in the way of fandom!), but here it is: the end!

There is a sort of trick for reading this. When you reach a line, you may stop reading if you are satisfied with the ending. If not, continue on until the next line. If you're still not pleased with the end, read a little further!

Without further ado...

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Chapter 10

_3 years later_

Arthur walked down the snowy street slowly; he didn't really have anywhere to go, but he couldn't stand another moment in his house. Even after a year he still wasn't used to how quiet it was there. Morgana had offered to move back into the house after Uther had died, but Arthur had refused, saying he needed some time to mourn on his own. He realized now that one never stopped mourning. Still, on the worst nights he would go to one of the neighbouring towns, any place where the streets weren't haunted by memories of his father.

"Hey, Pendragon." two men chimed as the passed him. Arthur looked up, startled from his own thoughts and managed a small wave and smile. They were some past clients of his, two of the first he'd had after completing his degree in sport psychology. He did enjoy his work, and it provided a good distraction from the gaping hole in Arthur's life.

Arthur burrowed a little further into his wool coat, noticing the cold more now that his head was out of the clouds. The snow was starting to fall, just lightly, but still managing to glow and sparkle in the light cast down by the streetlights. He nearly grimaced, understanding that a night like tonight was meant for lovers and such - not for him. He glanced at the window of a café he was passing, he looked tired and older than his years. He turned away.

He felt his phone buzzing from his pocket, and he reluctantly withdrew his hand to answer. He fumbled with it, his gloved hands not allowing him the best tactility. His cell dropped to the ground and skittered a few feet across the slightly icy sidewalk, coming to a stop against the toe of a black shoe. A pair of hands retrieved his phone for him, holding it out. Arthur looked up to thank the person, but instead found himself with his words of gratitude caught in his throat.

The streetlamp shone down on his dark hair and shadowed the eyes that Arthur remembered as being so bright. Snow dusted him; there were even a few partly melted flakes clinging to his cheeks. "Merlin." Arthur finally managed to breath out. He tried to absorb every bit of him with his eyes, from his well-worn-looking jacket, to the way the corner on his mouth quirked in a wistful sort of smile.

"Hello, Arthur."

* * *

"Merlin." he repeated, completely unaware of how his jaw hung slightly open, or how his eyes darted voraciously over Merlin's form.

"Yes, that's my name." the laughter could be heard in his voice, and it made Arthur's heart thump uncertainly in his chest.

"Merlin." he said once more, mournfully, almost a sob. All the pain of the last three years that Arthur had shoved away, pushed into some deep part of him where he wouldn't have to think about it or feel it come pouring out through that hole in him. Merlin's bemused face turned to one of concern as Arthur began to curl into himself, digging his fingers into his sides.

"Arthur, come on." he guided Arthur into the café and sat him down at a table. "Are you going to be okay?" Arthur nodded, then let his head fall into his hands. He sat like that for a while, Merlin standing quietly beside him.

Merlin broke the silence. "Look, obviously you didn't want to see me, so I'll go. Here, your phone." he held it out again, and it bumped against Arthur's hand. Arthur's head shot up, and he grabbed Merlin's hand, sending the phone clattering to the ground again. Merlin's fingers, sticking out from fingerless gloves, were cold against Arthur's, even through his own gloves.

"No!" he exclaimed, making Merlin jerk back a little. "No." he repeated. "Please stay, please." Merlin nodded a little, and sat in a chair across from Arthur.

"Yeah, okay. I'll stay as long as you want me to." and he smiled.

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He turned away for a moment to order them both a hot chocolate, but his hand never left Arthur's. Arthur retracted one hand to pull of his leather gloves with his teeth, then the other, making sure he didn't have to release him. Merlin turned back, glancing down at his entrapped hand and gave a fleeting smile, this his eyes settled on something, and recognition spread over his face; on Arthur's finger was a gold ring, the same one from years ago. Merlin opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

"So," Merlin began, "it's been a while."

"Three years, five months." Arthur stated with all seriousness. He hadn't been aware till that moment that he knew the exact length of time; or at least, he had never admitted to himself that he did.

A look of surprise crossed Merlin's face. "Has it been so long?" Arthur wasn't convinced that Merlin hadn't known just as well as he had.

"Well, how have things been?" Merlin asked.

Arthur paused for a moment, considering how to answer. He decided honesty likely was the best policy. "Awful." Merlin nodded as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Arthur remembered his haggard-looking reflection in the window, and recognized that it was rather obvious. "My father died." he said, his voice void of emotion. Merlin's eyes grew sad.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I-" he stopped and sucked in a breath, "I knew he meant a lot to you." He nodded glumly. He didn't want to talk about Uther with Merlin, he had so many other things he wanted to say, so many -

"What about the others? Your sister? Lance, and Gwen?"

"They're well. Morgana is as wicked as ever. Lancelot and Guinevere got married, and they - they are probably the ones who sent me the text." Arthur suddenly remembered his phone. He dropped Merlin's hand and picked it up and checked the message. His face lit up. "They had a girl! Just a couple of hours ago." Lance had been goading him for months, teasing him about how Arthur would love if they had a boy, some one to teach sports and whatnot, but he was perhaps not-so-secretly hoping it would be a girl.

"That's great." Merlin said warmly, looking just as happy as Arthur.

They sat in amiable silence for a while, sipping at mugs of hot chocolate which were cooling rapidly. Arthur opened his mouth to speak several times, but then closed it again not knowing how to begin.

Finally, he spoke, "I-I did try to make it that day." he said, knowing he wouldn't have to say any more for Merlin to understand. Merlin eyed him warily, possibly with just the tiniest look of surprise. "It was just - just everything, my father, and…and I got there too late. I didn't know how to get in contact with you; I didn't even know if you wanted to hear from me." Arthur was vaguely aware that his voice was getting louder and more hysterical as he spoke.

"Shhhh." Merlin quieted him, placing one hand over Arthur's. "It's alright. It was a long time ago." There was still a little jolt from the contact, not as strong as it had been then, but there, just the same.

Arthur licked his lips nervously as he decided how to proceed. "My hot chocolate is cold." he stated. Merlin looked at him curiously. Arthur took Merlin's hands and wrapped them around his mug. "My hot chocolate is cold." he repeated, looking at him pointedly. The meaning of Arthur's words dawned on Merlin, and he laughed. He stared down at the mug for a moment, his eyes glowing gold before steam began rising up from the mug. He pushed the mug a little closer to Arthur, before cupping his hands uncertainly around his own. He glanced at Arthur, who was staring at him with what could only be described as awe.

"Beautiful." Arthur murmured.

"What?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Your eyes." he explained. He leaned forward quickly, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Merlin's mouth, then whispered "You.".

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I hope it was worth the wait...if not, feel free to berate me for it.


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